Disney Marinated Lamb Chops with Couscous Tabbouleh and Mint Mojo

Serves 4

Lamb Chops
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
8 to 10 lamb chops
Light olive oil, for cooking

Couscous Tabbouleh
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 (10-ounce) box couscous
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 European cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Mint Mojo
1 1/2 cups mint jelly
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 bunch mint leaves (about 1 packed cup)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For lamb chops:  Whisk together oil, lemon zest and juice, oregano, cumin, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add garlic. Add lamb chops and turn to coat.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Remove chops from refrigerator and shake off excess marinade. Set aside.
Heat a large grill pan or skillet over high heat. Brush pan lightly with oil. Add chops and cook 2 1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

For couscous tabbouleh: Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, place couscous in a medium heatproof bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. When stock boils, carefully pour over couscous; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside 5 minutes.

Uncover and fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in lime zest and juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes, garlic, onion, cucumber, cilantro, and chickpeas. Stir to combine.

For mint mojo:  Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until well combined.

To serve: Spoon a portion of couscous into the center of a plate; place 2 lamb chops onto the couscous. Drizzle mint mojo around the plate and garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired.

Starting something new

I have been enjoying recipes I find on Pinterest for quite a while. I am also going to be printing this blog into a book for my birthday, so I figured I could not only share the recipes I am enjoying from Pinterest, but also make it easier to access them again once they are in my recipe book in January. Starting today, I will be posting atleast 1 recipe every other day, if not more often. Here is today's:

Puffed squares

½ cup butter

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

6 heaping TBSP. cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

10 cups puffed wheat or Puffed Rice for GF version

Measure the puffed wheat into a large mixing bowl and set aside. 

Melt the butter with the corn syrup, sugars, and cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium heat. 

Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. 

Remove from heat, add the vanilla, and stir well.

 Pour the mixture over the puffed wheat and mix until the puffed wheat is evenly coated.

 Press into a 9×13-inch pan that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.

Allow to cool and then cut into squares. 

Store in an airtight container to maintain ooey-gooey freshness!

*TIP*

If you put water on your spatula or spoon, it works better than butter on your hands while pressing flat in the pan.

Quinoa Pizza bites

Ingredients:

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa

1 large egg

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. fat free shredded mozzarella

1 t. minced garlic

1 T. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

pinch of salt

pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

1. Cook your protein-filled quinoa! Boil the quinoa and 1c. water and cover. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes (until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of your ingredients (except the pizza sauce) in a mixing bowl until it is well mixed.

3. Lightly spray the bottom of a mini-muffin tin with olive oil spray. Using a Tablespoon, scoop ~1T. into each muffin tin, it should fill almost all of them!

4. Bake them for 15-20 and let cool. Serve them warm with pizza sauce to dip in!

*You can also toss in 1/4 c. diced cherry tomatoes, mini pepperoni slices, diced peppers... 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup melted butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp hot water
2 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and hot water together until smooth. Stir flour, powder, soda, and salt in seperate bowl. Stir into butter mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop 1 Tbsp portions of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving room for the cookies to spread as they bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for one minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool.